When the Flesh Says Hurry, the Spirit Says Wait
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There’s a tension that lives in every believer:
The flesh wants to move now.
The Spirit invites us to wait well.
When we’re pressed, frustrated, delayed, or misunderstood, something in us rises. Often, it’s not the Spirit, it’s the old nature. We want resolution. Control. Speed. But God is forming something far deeper: patience.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering…” Galatians 5:22
The word “longsuffering” is an older but more accurate word for patience. It’s not just waiting, it’s suffering long without giving in to resentment, fear, or manipulation.
The Fruit of Patience
Patience is the ability to remain steady in delay, gentle under pressure, and submitted when you want to seize control.
It is formed not in comfort, but in the crucible, when the promise tarries, when others offend you, or when God’s silence stretches longer than expected.
True patience says:
“I trust God’s timeline more than my feelings.”
“I don’t need to control the outcome. He is in charge.”
“His pace is perfect. His pruning is good. His will is worth waiting for.”
Patience doesn’t mean passivity. It means power under the control of the Spirit.
The Impulse of the Flesh
In contrast, the flesh reacts. Not from peace, but from panic.
When patience is lacking, we often see:
Anxiety: We grasp at timelines, fear we’re falling behind, and question if God sees us.
Control: We manipulate situations or people because we don’t believe God will come through.
Anger: Frustration spills out, especially when others block our plans or when God delays a desire.
The works of the flesh are evident… hatred, contentions, outbursts of wrath…” Galatians 5:19–20
Impatience is often the visible fruit of an inward misbelief that we must take matters into our own hands. But every time we move in the flesh, we miss the fullness of what God could have done by the Spirit.
A Better Way: Walk by the Spirit
Paul gives us this key:
“Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” Galatians 5:16
You don’t grow patience by trying harder. You grow patience by walking closer to Christ.
The more we remain in Him, the more the Spirit flows through us, and the more patient we become.
Why? Because patience is produced by abiding.
Jesus is the perfect model of divine patience. He waited thirty hidden years before stepping into public ministry, out of obedience. He moved in God’s timing, not man's expectation. He never rushed ahead of the Father, nor lagged behind.
In His ministry, He was patient with the slow to believe, with disciples who often misunderstood Him, and with crowds who came more for miracles than truth. He was patient with questions, interruptions, and even with Judas—the one who would betray Him with a kiss. Jesus never once reacted out of irritation or impulsiveness. Why? Because He lived fully surrendered to the Father, filled without measure by the Spirit (John 3:34).
On the cross, He endured the ultimate injustice without bitterness or vengeance. “Father, forgive them,” He said, as the nails pierced His flesh. This is not human patience, it is divine.
And this is the very Spirit who now dwells within us.
When we remain in Christ, His Spirit produces what we cannot: love that waits, endures, and suffers long without breaking. Galatians 5:22 tells us that “the fruit of the Spirit is… patience.” It’s not a personality trait. It’s not being “easygoing.” It is the power of God restrained in grace.
The branch doesn’t bear fruit by effort. It bears fruit by remaining connected to the Vine (John 15:4–5). So, the more we abide, the more we are changed. And one of the clearest signs of this change is patience: with others, with ourselves, and with God’s timing.
Jesus is the model of perfect patience.
He waited 30 years before launching His ministry.
He was patient with slow learners, blind accusers, and even His betrayer.
He endured the cross without rage, revenge, or resentment.
That same Spirit now lives in us.
Action points
Pause before reacting. Ask, “Is this the Spirit or my flesh?”
Identify your triggers. Where are you most tempted to control or rush?
Memorize Galatians 5:22–23. Let God’s Word reframe your instincts.
Pray in the delay. Turn frustration into surrender.
Celebrate small victories. Every moment you choose patience over impulse, you glorify Christ.
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
You are not slow, but wise. Forgive me when I run ahead of You, react in fear, or try to force what only You can do. Grow in me the kind of patience that reflects Your heart—slow to anger, abounding in love, steady in peace. May the fruit of the Spirit be visible in my life, not just in easy moments, but especially in the waiting. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.
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